Carducci String Quartet
Matthew
Denton – violin
Michelle
Fleming - violin
Eoin Schmidt-Martin – viola
Emma
Denton - cello
'…playing
of constant variety, a masterclass in unanimity of musical purpose.’
The Strad
'...technical rigour, penetrative musical insight and lively yet unified
individualism...winning in every sense of the word...'
The Irish Times
The Carducci Quartet is recognised as one of today’s most exciting young
string quartets. Winners of the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York,
the Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition and major prizes at the
Bordeaux, London and Osaka competitions, the quartet has established an
enthusiastic International following.
The Anglo-Irish Carducci quartet studied with members of the Amadeus, Alban
Berg, Chilingirian, Takacs and Vanbrugh quartets and, as part of the ProQuartet
professional training programme in France, studied with Gyorgy Kurtag, Walter
Levin and Paul Katz. They are now in demand at conservatoires around the UK and
Ireland, holding residencies at Trinity College of Music in London, Cardiff
University, Cork School of Music and the Gloucester Academy of Music.
They recently established their own record label 'Carducci Classics', launched
with a CD of Haydn String Quartets. Two world premiere recordings featuring
C20th works by G. Whettam ('recording of the month' MusicWeb International)
and J. Horovitz (‘beautifully crafted works…excellent performances’, BBC
Music Magazine) followed in 2008. The complete quartets by Irish composer
Brian Boydell will be released shortly. The Carduccis have also recorded (Vivaldi
and Piazzolla) with the Katona Twins Guitar Duo for Channel Classics.
The Carducci Quartet’s international engagements have taken them to the USA,
Japan, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Poland and
Italy, where after performing numerous concerts at the Castagnetto-Carducci
Festival in 2001 the quartet adopted the name “Carducci” with the blessing
of the Mayor.
The Quartet was nominated for the 2008 Royal Philharmonic Society Chamber Music
Award and has recently collaborated with such internationally renowned musicians
as Nicholas Daniel, Julius Drake, Graham Oppenheimer, Charles Owen, Kazuki Sawa,
Julian Bliss, Patricia Rosario and the RTE Vanburgh Quartet. Past highlights
include appearances at the Verbier, West Cork and Wratislavia Cantans Festivals,
an Aldeburgh residency and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3, RTE Lyric FM and BBC
television.
Following on from their critically acclaimed Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall
debuts in London for the Park Lane Group, the quartet has gained an enviable
reputation for their performances of contemporary works. This season, the
quartet will premiere new commissions from David Matthews, Adrian Williams,
Simon Rowland Jones and Huang Ruo and will perform in the ‘New Music, New
Places’ series, New York and at the Second Glance Festival, London. The
quartet has also embraced collaborations with other disciplines, working
alongside the Henri Oguike and Random Dance companies and with the acclaimed
Sarod player Wajahat Kahn.
The quartet are passionate about taking Classical music to the next generation
and run chamber music courses for young musicians in France and Ireland. Their
educational work continues with performances for school children sponsored by
the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust and West Cork Music and coaching on the
National Youth String Quartet Weekend, run by the London String Quartet
Foundation at Chetham’s School of Music.
The upcoming season will include their Carnegie Hall debut, a complete Bartok quartet cycle, a Naxos recording and performances at the Wigmore Hall, Washington Library of Congress and their own festival in Highnam Gloucestershire. The Carducci Quartet gratefully acknowledges the support of the Coln Trust.
"...the Carducci String Quartet were stunning...they are clearly musicians of high intelligence." The Times